The domestic goat is one of the oldest domesticated animals, first kept in western Asia around 10,000 years ago. Goats are raised on every continent and are central to food systems across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Caribbean.
Goat meat — sometimes called chevon or cabrito — is lean, with a distinctive flavour that is stronger than lamb but milder than mutton. It is a dietary staple for much of the world’s population, though it remains a niche product in Australia compared to beef and lamb. Goat milk is also widely consumed, often made into cheese, yoghurt, and other dairy products.
Australia has a large feral goat population, and is one of the world’s biggest exporters of goat meat. Both farmed and rangeland (feral-harvested) goat meat enter the supply chain, with the farmed sector growing as demand increases domestically and abroad.
How it's produced
Goats are raised on pasture and rangeland, and are well suited to arid and semi-arid environments where cattle struggle. In Australia, a significant portion of goat meat comes from managed harvest of feral populations in western New South Wales and Queensland, alongside purpose-bred herds of Boer and other meat breeds.
Dairy goats are typically kept in smaller herds and milked once or twice daily, much like dairy cattle. Goats are browsers rather than grazers — they prefer shrubs, weeds, and rough vegetation over grass — which makes them useful for land management. They are generally hardy animals with relatively low input requirements compared to cattle.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for other red meat, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
What comes from this
Your household's take
One thumb per person, shared with your household — it steers what the wider-web shelf and the swap chips offer you. Tap again to take it back.
✎ Spotted something wrong? Suggest a correction
Checking who you are...